Nightsong
by Alexia Featherchild
Summary: There sits a lonely earl in his dark cold world, in front of the fireplace, until one night, he hears a beautiful voice singing a hauntingly tragic yet beautiful song. Although when the person isn't singing their voice can be rather nervewracking.
1. The Voice

**Disclaimer:** The characters found within this fanfiction belong to the very talented Manga-ka, Nakamura Shungiku and her manga Junjou Romantica.

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><p><strong><span>THE VOICE<span>**

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><p>Alone he sat in the darkness of his own room, a room devoid of light, save for the flicker of the firelight, the only source of warmth throughout the mansion. There was nothing and no one who could console him from his decades long grief, not even his servants dare try any longer to bring him out of his lonely and constant melancholy.<p>

Twenty long years had passed and still he hardly spoke to anyone other than over matters of the estate and even then his words were monotone and usually required on a yea or a nay. Ever since the day he had lost his lady love, his beautiful fiancee in a horrific carriage accident, the master of Nightsong Estate, had not been the same.

For hours at a time, he would sit in the darkness of his den, in the same old chair in front of the fire, day after day, night after night. He only got up to use the chamberpot and to eat, though often he took his meals in front of the fire, so as to avoid any and all human contact.

Though if he had to meet with anyone, out of duty, out of necessity for the king and for the country, he would rise from his comfort zone and step out into the light, only for as long as the meeting took, before returning, inevitably back to the dark den.

The servants that brought him his food and took the chamberpot to clean did not try to touch nor to speak to him for fear of his wrath.

They'd learned years ago, not to upset the man, although he need use no words, his eyes were so cold, so seemingly devoid of emotion that many had come to fear him. There were even rumors that he were no longer human.

Those rumors had been rolling around the countryside for years, putting people off trying to enter the employ of the Earl of Nightsong, fearing for their very lives. There had even been some whom had left the mans employ, thinking him to have become a madman capable of all manner of evil, insane acts.

Still, however, there were those whom remained ever loyal to the Earl, whether it was he whom had given them their jobs or his parents before him. Their trust in him never wavered, they simply did not wish to upset him in any way, though they prayed every night for his absolution from the anguish he had had to endure throughout the decade.

Even then, even now, he was alone. Everything and everyone died, eventually, there was no way to prevent it. Yet, it had been so very unfair, his beloved bride-to-be had died too young, older than himself yes, which had caused a stir among what people thought of as _proper_ society. No, her death had been an accident, the carriage falling apart and she plummeting to her death as the coach, without the horses to turn it, had fallen over a deep ravine.

Now, his deep dark violet eyes, sometimes mistaken for midnight blue depending on his mood, gazed into the flickering flames of the fire before him. The servants had all gone to their own quarters to rest for the night, very few, if any remained awake during the night, too frightened by the darkness, the cold that permeated within the walls of Nightsong Manor. The only sound was the howl of the wind and the crackling of the fire as the embers flared up and then fell.

At least, that should have been the _only_ sound. But it was not, there was another sound floating on the breeze, through the draft of the shuttered window. Someone, outside, was singing.

The dark haired man stood up, enchanted by the hauntingly beautiful song, wondering if it were a siren, or perhaps the song of an angel of death, come to finally reunite him with his long deceased bride. Mayhaps now, was finally the time he'd be able to escape from the half-life he had been living, which he hadn't even actually been truly living at all.

Whomever, whatever the voice belonged to, he was determined to find them and so, swinging his coat on, which the maids or butlers kept from gathering dust, he left his den. He left not just his den, but the Manor itself, of his own accord, without having to be prompted by someone higher in the hierarchy than he himself, Miyagi You.

He followed the voice, into the wood outside the back of his mansion, though it was dark out, there had been a number of nights where the servants had been unaware, when he'd take a stroll through a hardly used path. The path he had last shared with his beloved long since deceased.

As he approached the spring of water that he and his long lost lover had shared, his eyes had grown accustomed to what little light there was available from the heavens to light the way.

With his night accustomed vision, his brows furrowed, unsmiling as he saw two shadow figures ahead. One looked like that of a horse, perhaps his missing prized black stallion, but the other looked to be human. He wondered if it were a thief, but perhaps the origin of the voice he'd heard.

Quietly, he walked up behind the slender figure, hearing the now whispered song cease as the youth fell to the ground to partake of the water. With his own hand, he reached out to touch the strangers shoulder and demand answers from him.

That morning, the young lad had set out on a glorious new adventure, his fathers ship, which had been lent to him, having finally been anchored on the shores of England. There was so much to see, to explore and he was so very far from home, sailing on the cargo ship that had dealings with one specific port off the northern shores of England. They were there to negotiate a deal regarding trade.

The young fair haired lad however, had gone off, away from his guardians whom his father had paid five times the usual wage to keep watch over him and if he returned with him, unharmed they'd get double what he was already paying them. Yet the boy of seventeen had escaped their eye.

The very reason, their young lord, Takatsuki Shinobu, had gotten into quite a bit of trouble. He'd brought it upon himself, walking the roads alone, without backup or protection of any kind in all his regal splendor, marking him for what he was, a little rich boy. A lone little rich boy, ripe for the pickings.

That was what the leader of a group of bandits had thought, when first they had seen the pretty boy just lazily walking down the road.

The order had been given, by a masked man, "Aye ye lot, donnya see thar, a wee li'l babe righ' outta tha cradle 'e is. An we all 'as mouths ta feed at home don' we?" A pause while waiting for the affirmation, "Well then, why don' we 'ave ou'selves a li'l fun 'an see ifn 'es got any gold on 'im, ev'n if 'e don', 'is clothes look migh'y fancy don' they?"

And then, out of no where, the young man had been surrounded, weaponless, save for his mouth.

"What do you think you're doing?" He glared at the men, not wishing to appear weak, nor as frightened as he inwardly felt. He believed it best not to show fear in the face of the enemy and right now these men were his enemy, for their will he was certain was ill.

"We be gettin' ou'selves some gold ifn ye 'ave any and e'en ifn ye don', yo' clothes will fetch in a pretty lil bit o' somethin' so that we can feed ou' families."

Yet before the youth could offer them something better, like a job, they were upon him, tearing his clothes from his body, revealing how small and truly frail he was. They didn't seem to care about his welfare, some of them even snickering at how unmanly he looked, a proper little rich boy.

Although not all little rich boys had been born with such a frail looking physique, it had to do with genetics, not what he was born into or raised to be. The only thing they left behind was a horse they'd stolen earlier from some nearby mans estate. For no one had been able to ride the horse, everyone had been thrown off, as though the horse knew that none of them were its master. That or the horse were still wild and untamed, longing to be free.

Gray eyes gazed into dark brown, standing up, shivering. "I don't know your name horse, but its rather nippy out and the day grows long and night is just a short time away." He carefully approached the black horse, which stood seventeen hands tall.

The horse bobbed his head, allowing the recently robbed youth to stroke his mane and along the side of his neck. When the dark beast, as the bandits had called him, began to move, the young lord from a distant country followed.

Daylight had all but completely disappeared as evening came and went, the stars beginning to form in the night sky, and still the horse and the boy walked on, endlessly, never stopping.

They entered a long forgotten path, leading into the wood, but beyond that, something, the young man was sure, was there, for he had seen the smoke in the sky. Whatever it was, there was a fire, be it a lone person in the wilderness, a camp or even a home, he was going to it, as it seemed was also his new furry friends destination as well.

Yet the darkness at it descended, the limbs and foliage of the trees hiding most, if not all the light given off by the moon and the stars, making the forest much darker than the open land.

Shivering, the fair haired lad sighed and began to sing, though his mouth was parched from thirst, it had been hours since he'd last had a drink, hours even since he'd had his last meal. If only he hadn't wandered off, perhaps he'd be back in the comforts of his fathers cargo ship. Although, that life was so boring, being taken care of and not being allowed to explore, whether he was on his own or not. Where was the adventure in that, he wondered.

He sang an ancient song, the meaning of the words long since forgotten, yet the sound of them left them in no doubt that it was a tragic love ballad of some ancient civilization of people. People long since lost to the world, but living on through bits and pieces of their culture, including the haunting song that the young man sang in the night.

Gray eyes blinked as the magnificent black horse came to a halt and he looked down to see a stream of water. Falling to his knees he thanked the animal before taking a scoop of water in his hands and sipping it. It was delicious, natural spring water.

He just about jumped out of his own skin, when from out of nowhere a hand gripped his shoulders, "Who are you?" the voice demanded.


	2. The Prisoner

**THE PRISONER**

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><p>He was cold, naked and alone, or so he had thought. Now, through gray eyes grown wide, he gazed up at the man whom had snuck up from behind.<p>

Dark violet eyes glared down at him and he felt a shiver run up through his spinal column. Whether the shiver stemmed from the cold, or the situation he found himself in, he couldn't be sure, perhaps both.

The man had demanded to know who he was, but for a moment he was unable to say anything. His heart was beating so painfully against his chest that he lacked the breath to form a single word.

He'd already had a run in with a band of bandits, thus finding himself now in his current predicament, without a stitch to call his own. He didn't even have a single coin to his name. Surely this dark haired man didn't think there was anything left on his person to actually steal.

His eyes narrowing, he grumbled at the older man, whom he could only just barely make out in the dark of night, "I am Shinobu, that is the only name you need to know. And who might I ask are you?" He brushed the larger mans hand from his shoulder.

He did not care to be touched, least of all by strangers. Not without forewarning or permission at the very least.

That only served to earn him a fierce look in return as the man in turn spoke, "I am You Miyagi, Earl of Nightsong, Master of Nightsong Estate."

"So, what does your having to be an Earl have anything to do with me?"

He could not let it get out that he, Shinobu Takatsuki had been beset by bandits, robbed of all material possessions he had with him. His father would just about have a heart attack and his mother a conniption, he was sure of it. Plus, it would not bode well for him and he'd surely be placed under house arrest and forced to marry some rich floozy he didn't care a lick for.

"You're on my land and standing with my _stolen_ stallion."

Blinking, he paled, "I didn't steal your horse! I just found him."

"I'm sure that's what all of the thieves say these days once they've been caught red handed."

"I did not steal your damn horse Miyagi! It was the bandits, of which I am not affiliated with. They stole everything I had with me and I was using the horse for warmth, I had no idea he belonged to you, nor even who you were!"

Once again, shivering, he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to keep warm.

"Everything?" The elder male asked, his eyes glancing over the sandy haired youth. "It appears that they did."

When one of the dark haired mans hands reached out for him, he stepped back, only to feel the snout of the horse give him a nudge.

Two big hands took hold of his shoulders.

"What else did they do to you, Shinobu?"

"Nothing, what else could they have possibly done to me?" He frowned, not comprehending in the least what the older man seemed to be implying.

He heard the other sigh, wearily.

"So, you're an innocent are you? I'll just have to send you home to your parents. Now, tell me, what is your full name Shinobu?"

That was not something he was prepared to say and he was far too cold and without aforethought stepped closer to the warmth which radiated from Earl of Nightsong's body.

Miyagi frowned once more at the youth, but could hardly shove the freezing body away. He could feel him trembling and thought he'd best find a way to get him warm before he succumb to hypothermia. "I'll take you to my manor for the night to warm you up, then you'll tell me everything come morning." Although he still had his doubts about the boy.

The sandy head of hair shook, "I'll not say," he did not need _that_ embarrassment, for surely this man would tell all of what had happened as far as he was aware. He simply didn't need that, though a warm bed for the night sounded heavenly, when he thought he might just wind up sleeping beside the black beast. Although while it was a beast to the bandits, the horse had not been beastly to him, but instead kind enough to lead him to water.

"We'll see about that," Miyagi grumbled, before turning toward the horse. "Diablo, come here boy."

The horse whickered and pranced over to him and stood still.

Miyagi removed his coat and wrapped it around the youth, before easily lifting him up onto the horse and he behind him.

Shinobu began to see that Miyagi was kind, or at least could be. He probably had many friends despite the earlier dark and forbidding looks he'd directed his away upon first sighting him.

Miyagi took a hold of the black stallion's hair, "Home Diablo," and the stallion was off, galloping in the direction from which Miyagi had come.

As they rode, Shinobu slowly began to relax rather than sitting rim-rod straight.

The owner of Diablo asked him, "Tell me, Shinobu, did you hear the voice back there?"

"A voice? No, there was no one but myself and this horse... Diablo."

"I see, then it must have been my imagination. I thought I heard someone singing."

"Oh?" He felt his cheeks sting with warmth, cooled by the air of night. Miyagi's coat however kept him warm, far warmer than he'd been before. He _almost_ felt bad for even taking it, but he was too cold and the older man still had clothes on, whereas he had none thanks to what had befallen him earlier.

"Yes. It was so haunting, I thought perhaps my maker had come to collect me from this mortal coil."

Brows furrowing he shook his head slightly, not understanding why someone would have thought that way. "Why?"

"Because I have waited neigh a decade to."

"I don't understand, why do you want to die?"

"Because, I've only been existing, not truly living these past ten years."

He still didn't understand and was growing irritated. His hand finding the older mans wrist, he squeezed a bit between his nails.

"Ouch, you brat! What the fuck was that for?"

"You are being stupid, wishing to die. Obviously there is a reason why you're still alive at all!"

"You'd wish to be on the other side, if your fiancee too were dead."

Maybe he would, but he didn't think that was any excuse to live like a recluse.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm no angel to take your life and take you to the other side with my song."

"_You_ were the one singing?" asked Miyagi incredulously.

"What does it matter if I was or not? I thought at least it could keep my body temperature up," even if that were just a myth and not fact. He also did not wish to admit that he'd grown afraid of the dark, because the darker it was the more frightening it became. He was supposed to be an adult, a man who did not cry in the face of fear.

Singing helped to alleviate some of that pent up fear, which was why the hand gripping his shoulder from out of nowhere had nearly caused him death by extreme fright. At least he'd had Diablo with him, even if then he hadn't known anything about the horse, other than that he was a source of warmth and comfort.

"What does it matter..." Miyagi mused quietly to himself. The song that Shinobu had sung earlier had caught his interest, enough for him to leave his Manor without anyone pushing or prodding him to.

A beautiful voice that he wanted to keep for himself, even though nothing had ended as he'd thought it would.

Even if Shinobu were not a thief, though he'd been caught with Diablo, albeit in a rather compromising manner, he was still a trespasser.

And as Earl and Master of Nightsong Manor, he had the right to shoot him on sight.

As they neared ever closer to the home of You Miyagi, the older man whispered into the younger mans ear, "Trespassers are to be disposed of."

"If you were going to dispose of me, why didn't you just leave me where I was?"

"I was thinking that as you have no clothes or money to your name, unless you tell me who you are so I can return you," though he'd hate to lose someone with such a voice that could surely sooth him, "you'd become my prisoner. And as my prisoner, you'd be my personal servant. If you don't know how to be a servant I have other servants that would be more than willing to teach you."

Shinobu's mouth dipped down at the corners, thinking the situation odd. Yet, without Miyagi's help he'd still be out there cold and alone. Maybe Destiny had a reason for him being here.

"Fine...do I get paid?"

"You get a place to sleep and food in your belly. If you do well you might get a coin or two a month."

That hardly seemed fair to him, but he could leave at any time, for surely even the Earl of Nightsong knew of the Takatsuki family.

Miyagi was the first to dismount and helped him down.

The feel of the larger hands on one of his thighs and the middle of his back had Shinobu quivering slightly. He was somewhat confused as to his bodies reactions, not having reacted in that manner to anyone before man or woman.

Both thought, as they entered the manor, that this would prove to be an interesting endeavor.

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><p><strong>Author Note:<strong> This story is a lot more difficult to write than I originally thought it'd be. Hopefully those reading were able to enjoy this chapter. And while I'm sorry for the long delays between updates I am working on a lot of stories and doing other things that have nothing to do with writing.


	3. First Night in Nightsong

**FIRST NIGHT IN NIGHTSONG**

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><p>Miyagi led the younger man who was naked save for the long coat he'd allowed him to borrow, down the hall to his own chambers.<p>

Opening the door, he stepped aside and waited for the youth to go in.

After a moments hesitation, the blonde stepped into the Master bedroom of Nightsong Manor.

Following behind him, the dark haired man closed the door behind them and made way to his dresser.

"I don't think I have anything that will fit you, but for tonight one of my shirts, or something, should suffice and you can sleep on the furs in front of the fire. Tomorrow, we'll get you a proper servants room ready."

He could not find the heart to make him sleep in one of the unheated rooms and it took some time for a fire to warm a room.

Shinobu frowned and crossed his arms, "On the _floor_?" By the tone of his voice, it seemed evident that the young blonde was unused to sleeping on the floor.

Miyagi quirked a brow, "You're certainly not sleeping in _my_ bed. The floor should be good enough for a law breaker. Be glad you've got furs."

There was no way he was letting another human into bed with him, particularly another man.

The only thing he wanted from the boy, was his voice, his _singing_ voice.

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><p>Shinobu's brows furrowed deeper as he glowered at the older man. No one had treated him so without respect in his entire life. At least not where he could hear it. Aside from those awful bandits. Recalling his encounter with them, he shivered.<p>

"Now, Shinobu, take off the coat and change into these."

The older man had pulled something else from his armoire.

Shinobu sighed and let one sleeve slip down an arm, revealing a milky shoulder – he'd always been so much lighter than others of his nationality.

The cool air, despite the warmth from the fire, had the revealed pink nipple growing taut.

He didn't notice the other man pause in his movement, or the bob of his Adams apple.

Moving his now unclothed arm, he pulled off the second and once again stood without a stitch on as the coat dropped to the floor around his feet.

Glancing into the deep dark violet eyes of the Master of the Manor, he held out his hand, "Clothes, please."

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><p>He didn't know what was going on, unable to take his eyes off of the young man as he disrobed.<p>

'_It's been too long since I last shared intimacy with someone. That's all it is. Shinobu is a __**man.'**_

When Shinobu took the oversized yukata from him, he still wasn't able to tear his eyes away as the blonde pulled on the yukata and tucked it in and tied the obi around it.

Finally, he was able to turn his gaze away from the young man.

'_It looks like I'll need to visit one of the bordellos, if its been so long since I've done so that I'm fantasizing about another __**man**__._'

But tonight it was late and he was tired. Turning back to his dresser he himself changed into a yukata as well. It did not however appear overlarge on him as it did the blonde man he'd brought home to be a new servant.

Once done, he moved to his bed that the maid had earlier made up and pulled back the covers, sinking into the large bed that could have easily fit a whole family of perhaps seven or eight.

He paid no heed to the glowering young man sitting cross legged on the furs in front of the fire.

At least, he tried not to, but he could feel those gray eyes as if they were burning a hole into his back. He wondered, perhaps, if the kid were dangerous.

After a few tense minutes, he turned his head to look toward the youth, but the blonde had since turned to stare at the fire.

Eventually, he had to go to sleep and with that in mind, Miyagi turned back and closed his eyes.

The warmth of his yukata, bed and the sheets lulled him to sleep. But, as usual, he knew he'd not sleep fitfully as he had not in a decades long time.

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><p>When he heard snoring coming from the direction of the bed, he turned his head, looking in the soundly sleeping mans direction with tired eyes.<p>

He knew he'd never get to sleep on the floor, even with the furs and in front of the fire place. It was impossible, for he was unused to sleeping anywhere but in the comfort of a bed or at least a comfortable cot on the ship he never should have left.

'_Stupid old man, he should be more courteous to his guests_." But then, he frowned, he wasn't a proper guest and Miyagi had no idea to the family he belonged to. Therefore, he could not so openly complain, despite how much he wished to.

And if any of what happened were found out, his father would have his hide for bringing humiliation to the family name for having been robbed at all.

Carefully and as quietly as possible, he got up from the floor and crept over to the warm inviting bed.

It didn't matter to him that a man were in it. He'd had plenty of sleepovers with his male cousins that it left him unfazed.

When he reached the side edge of the bed, he pulled back the covers as slowly as possible before kneeling and slipping beneath the sheets.

It was warmer and more comfortable than the spot he'd been told he'd be sleeping tonight. A spot he had no intention of sleeping in at all.

Covered up and on one side of the bed, he turned to look away from the dark haired Earl of Nightsong.

Closing his eyes, he released a breathy sigh and snuggled into the sheets.

As he began to fall asleep, he wondered what they next day would bring.

When he heard the other mumble, he stiffened where he lay, his eyes opening widely.

His pulse raced even as he tried to remain calm and not be noticed, for he knew not what the other would do nor what he was capable of.

He felt the man shift beside him and his own body felt like it were sinking backward, for a dip in the bed had shifted.

It seemed the man hadn't awoke.

When he tried to escape from the bed, reluctant as he was to sleep on the furs, he found himself unable to move.

Against his ear, he felt the hot breath of the other man which caused a strange shiver to run through him.

There too, was an arm wrapped around him, which pulled him back against the other.

He feared what the man, Miyagi, might be up to. Until he heard the shallow breath of a person asleep.

His brows furrowed, his heart rate slowly returning to normal.

Somehow, instead of wanting to push the other away, he felt oddly comfortable.

Shinobu, too tired to think on the matter, or to rudely awaken the man only to be kicked out of the bed, his eyes once more closed.

His lips parted slightly as he drifted into the realm of dreams, snug and warm held against the other man.

Not for a moment, did he think it strange.

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><p>As dawn approached and the cock crowed as the predawn light began to filter in through the window, dark violet eyes fluttered open.<p>

There was something warm against him.

His brows furrowed in confusion, before he was fully awake and could comprehend that he wasn't alone in his bed.

The damn little brat had sneaked into his bed whilst he slept.

Who did he think he was to dare pull such a bold move. If he'd been a woman, he would have been in grave danger of losing his virtue.

Removing his arm, startled by how close and intimate they appeared, he tensed when the youth began to move.

Suddenly, his mouth felt horribly dry, even dryer than usual for waking up hours after he'd last had a drink.

When Shinobu had turned onto his back, one arm flung above his head, the other to his side and his legs sprawled out beneath the covers the older man was taken aback.

One sleeve of the yukata the youth had borrowed from him the night before, had slid down and revealed a shoulder. The way it hung loosely on the blonde, he was able to see a perky pink nipple, hardened by the cool air of the morning.

During the night, the fire had dimmed and all's which was left were the embers.

The kid needed to be taught a lesson, for what if he had done the same with someone else who was far less scrupulous than himself?

That had Miyagi's eyes narrowing, his frown lines deepening at the very idea someone would try to lay their hands on the lovely young man with the voice of an angel. When he was singing that was.

Grasping the boys wrists in one hand, he held them up and over the youths head.

He undid the obi and removed it from the yukata and used it to tie the boys wrists to the head board.

His movements had jostled the young man awake.

"Miyagi?" The sleepy voice murmured questioningly.

Then, the sleepy gray eyes widened, finding himself unable to move his arms.

"M-Miyagi?" The youth trembled, his gaze caught like a deer in the headlights.

Miyagi continued to glare at the boy, placing a hand on his exposed chest.

"Who said you could share my bed, boy?"


End file.
